WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama would have a solid ally on the ballot in Alabama's 7th Congressional District no matter which Democrat wins the upcom­ing runoff, based on their answers to a series of issue questions from The Birmingham News.

Terri Sewell and Shelia Smoot are largely supportive of Obama's agenda, and their positions on key issues of the day are in the main­stream of the Democratic Party.

Either of them would be the first woman to represent Alabama in Congress in decades and the first black woman ever to represent the state.

Although District 7, a 12-county area that runs from Birmingham to southern Clarke County, tends to vote heavily Democratic, the party's nominee will face a Republican in the November general election. Don Chamberlain and Chris Salter are battling for the GOP nomination in the July 13 runoff.

Both Sewell and Smoot talk frequently about the dire economic condition of the district. It has the highest and most persistent unemployment in the state, even before the current recession, so creating an environment that attracts new employers is a top priority for voters.

Jobs

Both Sewell and Smoot claim a record of success when it comes to economic development, and both see a significant role for the federal government to assist.

Sewell, who finished first in the four-way primary June 1, is on leave from the Maynard Cooper and Gale law firm in Birmingham. She is the firm's first black female partner. The firm hired her away from a job in New York with the promise she could represent local public institutions such as county governments, colleges and cities that needed help borrowing money from Wall Street to finance public works projects.

Sewell refers to the job as "economic development attorney," but the technical term is bond attorney, the one who helps structure the municipal bond offering so that it qualifies for tax exempt status, among other things.

"I would use my experience as an economic development attorney to reach out to industry leaders and bring them together with the local and state leaders to partner in creating jobs and taking advantage of federal opportunities," Sewell said. "In addition, I will be a partner in passing President Obama's jobs and economic recovery agenda, which provides funding and other assistance to the hardest hit areas, including Birmingham and the Black Belt counties."

Smoot, a two-term Jefferson County commissioner, also talks about improving the infrastructure of the district -- water, sewer, natural gas and broadband -- to lure industry, with retail and housing to follow. Such development also would require better transportation, education and public safety.

The 7th District office should provide technical assistance to communities pursuing economic development projects, Smoot said, and steer job training programs to the area.

"Further, a member of Congress must keep these communities apprised of federal grant opportunities and other resources that will allow them to take advantage of low- to no-cost subsidies for building sustainable communities with readily available job opportunities," Smoot said.

Health care

Obama's overhaul of the nation's health care system has special significance in the 7th District, where access to doctors is low and the numbers of Medicaid and Medicare patients is high.

After igniting an emotional national debate on the role of government in the private health insurance market, Obama's plan barely passed Congress and opponents threaten future attempts to repeal it. The current 7th District congressman's vote against it is believed to have been a factor in his loss in the Democratic primary for governor.

Smoot and Sewell, unlike U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, both say they would have voted for it. Sewell takes that support further, saying she would favor adding a public option, a government-run insurance plan that would compete with private plans.

Both candidates also support a woman's right to choose an abortion.

Immigration

In the 2000 census, 7th District had a population that was 1 percent Hispanic, and less than 4 percent spoke a language other than English. But those numbers are expected to increase after the 2010 census, and there is no reliable count on the number of people living in the district illegally.

Congress is expected to try, again, to improve border security and wrestle with how to address the several million people already in the U.S. without permission. So far Congress has rejected any plans that included a way for illegal aliens to earn citizenship.

Sewell said the government should target employers in the U.S. who employ illegal aliens for low wages.

"We are a nation of laws and the laws on the books need to be enforced and

She said trying to deport the millions of people in the U.S. illegally is "logistically impossible" and "financially crippling," so she favors allowing them to earn citizenship.

"We need to focus on bringing people out of the shadows and into the system so that they can begin paying taxes and contribute to the economy," Sewell said.

Smoot called for a system that is both "tough and fair" and said she supports creating a path to citizenship, as well.

War

The News asked both candidates about Afghanistan and how the United States should define success in the military mission there. The next member of Congress from the 7th District will be asked to vote on additional funding of the war, and there are new questions about whether Obama will be able to meet his goal of beginning to withdraw troops by next summer.

"We must move toward a timely withdrawal," Smoot said. "However, we must also consider the ramifications of this withdrawal and the effect it will have on global security. We must protect our nation from terrorists and we must determine if we have been successful in that as well as ending potential nuclear threats that exist in this region."

Sewell offered her support of the troops.

"I trust President Obama's plan to more aggressively engage the Afghan citizens in their future and the added emphasis on working with Pakistan to forge a lasting and stable democracy in Afghanistan," Sewell said.

Debt

The $13 trillion national debt will force some tough decisions by the next Congress, specifically tax increases and spending cuts.

"I would not cut spending that would have an adverse effect on the already underserved constituents of the 7th Congressional District,"

Smoot said. "I think we should first look for ways to streamline agencies and cut out unnecessary spending. I do not believe in raising taxes on the least of these and those that cannot afford an increase."

Sewell said that, as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, money will be freed up to start paying down the debt.

"I believe that we need to continue to find ways to invest in creating jobs," Sewell said. "We should start with prioritizing spending and cutting waste. In Congress, I intend to be a partner with President Obama in creating jobs and putting this country on the road to recovery."

Energy

Alabama has a complicated relationship with offshore oil drilling. While the BP Deepwater Horizon spill is threatening Alabama's tourism and seafood-related economy, the majority of the state's congressional delegation is opposed to a moratorium on drilling. The state is generally supportive of the industry in part because the state gets a share of the revenue.

Sewell said she supports Obama's decision to halt drilling for six months in the wake of the BP spill.

"There should be no drilling without the full confidence that, if a catastrophe of this magnitude happens again, we are equipped and prepared to deal with the cleanup quickly," Sewell said.

Sewell said she is an advocate for policies that reduce American dependence on oil.

Smoot also talked about less reliance on oil for energy. She said she is opposed to opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling and said it "would be difficult" for her to agree to expand offshore drilling in shallow or deep waters.

"We should focus on green jobs, developing more environmentally friendly forms of energy and considering cost-saving means rather than more exploration and depletion of the same resources," Smoot said.

CANDIDATE BIOS

Terri A. Sewell

Date of birth: Says she's in her 40s

Resi­dence: Lives in Birming­ham; born in Huntsville

Political experience: None

Professional experience: Lawyer

Education: Law degree, Harvard Law School; mas­ter's degree in politics, Ox­ford University; bachelor's degree in international and public affairs, Princeton University